Swimming pools typically use a filtration process to remove dirt and other foreign particles which accumulate in the pool water. The pool water is pumped by a variety of known means to a filter which removes the dirt and other solid particles from the pool water. Filtered pool water is then discharged from the filter directly back to the pool. In addition to making the pool water visually appealing, removal of foreign particles by filtration helps in decreasing the disinfectant demand, typically chlorine, of the pool water necessary for killing disease causing bacteria. Typically, five basic types of filter systems are utilized for swimming pools, namely, pressure sand, pressure diatomaceous earth, vacuum diatomaceous earth, gravity sand, and cartridge type filters.
As the filtration process takes place, filtered particles accumulate in the filter adding resistance to, and decreasing the water flow through, the filter. Typically, once the water flow through the filter falls below a specified flow rate or pressure, it is recommended that the filter be cleaned. With regard to cartridge-type filters, the cartridge filter element is typically removed from the filter housing and rinsed/cleaned with a garden hose to remove the filtered dirt and other solid particles therefrom.
During normal operation, the water to be filtered typically accumulates in the cartridge filter housing and submerges the filter cartridge. Filtered water collects at an inner volume of the filter cartridge and is drained or pumped back to the pool. Conventional filter cartridges include a plurality of longitudinal pleat folds used for filtering. Each of these longitudinal pleat folds must be cleaned. Typical filter cartridges take about 20-30 minutes to clean by spraying with a garden hose. Cleaning in this manner with a garden hose also has a disadvantage in that the force of the applied water pushes some of the filtered debris deeper into the filter medium of the longitudinal pleat folds, since the build up of filtered debris typically occurs at the outer diameter of the filter cartridge. Experience has shown that the periodical removing and cleaning of filter cartridges has become a chore that many pool owners skip. Periodical cleaning of the filter cartridges is important since a cartridge filter that sits dirty too long, dries and becomes impacted with filtered debris and cannot be cleaned. If this happens, a new filter cartridge must be purchased.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the above-identified problems.